Owen stepped through the cool curtain of the waterfall… Soft, late-morning sunlight shone down onto his face.
The Blackwood Forest he saw before him had changed completely… It was no longer a place oppressed by a terrifying presence. The "veil of mist," once as thick as a living nightmare, had completely dissipated, leaving only fresh, clear morning air. The cheerful chirping of birds sounded from the distant treetops, and the scent of damp earth was clean and fragrant… The forest had returned to the peace it should have always known.
He turned back to look at the secret path hidden behind the waterfall… The memory of the amazing archive was still fresh in his mind. But now, he had a more urgent matter.
'How long was I gone?'
The thought flashed into his head instantly. In Owen's perception… the battle with the iron beast, the confrontation with the Sentinel, the plunge into the dream dimension that felt like an eternity, plus returning to the monastery to heal and talk with Tenzin… at least half a day should have passed.
'Damn it… Clara and the others must be going crazy.'
He realized immediately that he needed a reasonable "excuse" for his disappearance… And then he remembered that before the mist had become thick and everything turned chaotic, he had told everyone he was going to gather more firewood.
'Firewood… That's it!'
Owen didn't wait. He quickly surveyed the area, scanning for dry branches he could break off and gather. Although his body was still weary, his external wounds were almost completely healed. He spent only a few minutes gathering a decent pile of firewood… At least this would make his return look more plausible.
...
A few minutes later, Owen walked back to the campsite.
The sight he beheld made him stop in his tracks…
It was silence…
The campfire they had lit last night… was now completely extinguished, leaving only cold, grey ash. No smoke rose from it anymore.
And most worrying… was the state of his friends.
Damian… sat on a large log, clutching both his temples… His face was noticeably pale, like someone with a severe hangover.
Clara… sat hugging her knees beside the extinguished fire, her eyes staring blankly into the ashes… Her eyelids were slightly red and swollen… as if she had just been crying, or perhaps because she was still lost in some lingering, confusing emotion.
As for Julian… he sat slightly apart… holding the latest smartphone model, tapping the screen over and over with a clearly frustrated and confused expression… trying to find a signal that wasn't there.
And Julian was the first to look up and see Owen. His expression changed from confusion to immediate "relief"…
"Owen! You're finally back!" Julian almost shouted. He shot to his feet instantly. "I tried calling you, but there's no damn signal… We were really worried, you know!"
Julian's voice snapped Damian and Clara out of their trances. Both whipped their heads around to look at Owen as one. Clara's eyes trembled with clear relief.
Damian slowly looked up, letting out a long sigh. "Hey… you were gone a long time, buddy…" His voice was a little hoarse. "...gone for an hour and a half… If it wasn't for that crazy mist, we would have gone looking for you. I was afraid someone else would get lost too, so we agreed to wait until the mist cleared… Good thing the mist is gone now, and you're back just in time… Don't make us worry like this, Owen."
Owen froze for a moment… his brain rapidly processing those words.
'An hour and a half…?'
'Only an hour and a half!?'
How was that possible?! The fight with the iron beast… the confrontation with the Sentinel… healing the Nightmare Knot in the dream dimension… returning to the monastery to heal with Tenzin… visiting the archive… All of that… was just an hour and a half!?
And then… the amazing truth dawned on him.
'Time!'
Time in the dream dimension and the real world… was different! The battle that felt like hours in Arcadia… might have only taken a few dozen minutes in the real world! That meant most of the time he was gone… was the time he had spent recovering and talking in the monastery with Tenzin!
This truth, far from troubling him… actually made his excuse even more perfect!
Owen immediately put on a weary and confused expression (which was partly true). He dropped the firewood he was carrying beside the extinguished fire.
"Sorry…" he said in a tired voice. "The mist got so thick I lost my bearings… I just kept walking in circles. I only managed to find my way back when the mist started to clear up."
The explanation sounded perfectly reasonable. Getting lost in a foggy forest for an hour and a half was entirely plausible.
Owen paused to catch his breath before turning to look at his friends, who still looked drained and pale. He frowned slightly with concern. "But what about you guys… Are you okay? Why do you all look so pale? What happened while I was gone?"
Owen's question seemed to pull the three of them back from their dazed state. Julian shook his head vigorously to clear the confusion, while Damian raised a hand to massage his temples again.
Clara was the first to answer… her voice still trembling slightly.
"Owen… while you were gone… it… it was so strange… All of us…" She swallowed hard, trying to gather her thoughts. "We… we saw hallucinations…"
Clara's words made the atmosphere, which had just begun to relax with Owen's return, instantly tense and silent again. The extinguished fire in the center of their conversation became a symbol of the chill that gripped everyone's heart at that moment.
Damian nodded slowly, confirming his wife's words. His face was still pale, his hand massaging his temple nonstop, while Julian looked half-confused, half-disbelieving.
Owen stood still. He knew he was the only one who hadn't faced what they had while he was gone. He feigned a serious frown, meeting Clara's eyes before slowly scanning Damian and Julian.
"Hallucinations?" he repeated, his voice as steady and comforting as he could make it. "What do you mean? What exactly did you see? Tell me."
He deliberately used an open-ended question… He needed them to "vent" it out.
Damian spoke first. He raised a hand to massage his temples again, hard, as if trying to squeeze the terrible memory out of his head.
"It… it was terrifying, Owen," his voice trembled noticeably, unlike the strong middle-aged man he usually was. "I… I saw myself… back at the old office… the day everything fell apart." He gasped for breath. "And the creditors… they were banging on the door… they were looking for me… but their faces… god… they looked like demons! Red eyes… it felt so real… I…" He couldn't continue, only shaking his head back and forth. His mental state looked terrible and extremely fragile.
Owen nodded slowly before turning to Julian, who was scratching his head awkwardly, looking quite different.
"Terrifying?" Julian repeated. "Not for me… It was… kind of cool, actually." He looked strangely embarrassed. "I felt like… I was talking to… uh…" He waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind, it sounds really stupid. But I was really happy then. Felt excited, like I was about to do the greatest thing in my life."
Owen nodded again… Julian's symptoms perfectly matched his fun-loving and easily excited nature. And if it weren't for his strange tastes… he'd actually be a decent young man. Before Owen's gaze stopped at Clara, who was still sitting with her knees hugged, head down, refusing to meet his eyes directly.
"Clara?" Owen called her softly.
She flinched slightly before answering in a voice as faint as a whisper. "I… I was the same."
She looked up for a moment before quickly averting her gaze back to the ashes. "I didn't see anything scary… not like Damian… But it felt… strange." Her cheeks flushed a faint pink. "Felt… warm… and… unbelievably happy."
She would never tell Owen that the image she saw was of marrying him… of having several small children together… It was the deepest desire of her heart being projected, and the overwhelming emotional impact still lingered intensely within her.
Owen listened to all three stories in silence, but his mind was analyzing rapidly.
'Just as I thought… That mist didn't just create hallucinations… it amplified the deepest desires and fears within each person's heart… Damian's fear is failure and debt… Julian's happiness is excitement and being important… And Clara's… is us.'
He nodded slowly, pretending to process this shocking information.
"Sounds like that mist was toxic," he said in a firm voice, offering the most plausible (and completely fabricated) theory an ordinary person could come up with. "Maybe it was spores from poisonous mushrooms, or strange pollen from around here that got blown together. When the mist got thick, the concentration was high enough to make us hallucinate… We're really lucky it cleared up."
He paused before smoothly linking it to his own excuse.
"No wonder I was lost for an hour and a half… That damn mist must have made me dizzy too. While I was walking in circles, I felt like the world was spinning the whole time."
This explanation was what everyone needed to hear… a tangible "answer."
Damian and Julian immediately nodded, accepting the theory. It was plausible enough to put their minds "at ease." "Mushroom spores? Huh… Yeah, that's possible," Julian mumbled.
Only Clara remained silent… She accepted the explanation… but deep down, she couldn't help but wonder if the feeling of "warmth and happiness" she had just experienced… was really just the effect of mushroom spores…
Owen looked at the dejected state of his three friends… Even though his "mushroom spore" theory had eased everyone's anxiety somewhat, the overall atmosphere was still heavy and gloomy. And he could feel everyone's "lack of spirit"... And not just them... himself included.
The battle with the female Sentinel and the plunge into the Nightmare Knot hadn't just drained his physical energy or mana… it had drained his spiritual energy almost completely. He was tired… tired to the core… He decided in that moment… he had to "replenish everyone's spirit," including his own!
And the best way to replenish spirit wasn't resting alone… but creating "happiness" and "normalcy" around oneself. Owen switched modes instantly. He straightened up, clapped his hands loudly once, "Clap!", grabbing everyone's attention.
"Alright!" he said, his voice brighter and louder than before, making the three of them flinch slightly. "The bad stuff is over, the mist is gone… What all of us need most right now…"
He bent down and pulled a silver camping coffee pot from the luggage. "...is a nice, hot cup of strong coffee!"
He didn't wait… grabbing the large pile of firewood he had brought back, tossing it onto the cold ashes, before skillfully using his fire-starting skills to relight it.
Crackle… Crackle!
In just a few moments… orange flames flared up again. The soft crackling of the wood and the warmth radiating out began to slowly chase away the coldness and gloom that had gripped the camp. Owen quickly set the water to boil. The rich aroma of roasted coffee grounds began to waft through the morning air.
While waiting for the water to boil… Owen began his "work."
He sat down on the log opposite Damian and Clara before smiling at Damian. "This reminds me of that time… Remember, Damian? When we tried to fix the kitchen pipes ourselves because we didn't want to pay a plumber… Ended up breaking the pipe, flooding the kitchen until Clara almost killed us both."
The story, coming out of nowhere, made Damian, who was sitting glumly, freeze for a moment… before the disastrous memory returned… and he burst out laughing.
"Oh yeah…" Damian shook his head. "God… that day was a disaster. The parquet floor swelled up completely, haha." This was his first laugh of the morning… It was like a small spark of happiness that slowly spread to those around him.
Julian, who was starting to cheer up instinctively, quickly added, "Hey! But I helped bail out the water! I remember using that paint bucket!"
"You spilled the bucket on the carpet, Julian!" Clara retorted instantly, but a faint smile had appeared on her face now.
She looked at Owen, who was smiling and turning to make the coffee… This man… he was doing it again… He was pulling all of them back from despair and gloom… just like he always did. Her heart, which had been shaken by the strange dream… now began to warm with a real feeling… the love and admiration she had for him.
Their conversation continued, led by Owen. Both lame jokes and old embarrassing stories were dug up by Owen until the atmosphere in the camp began to improve by 80%.
Everyone got a cup of hot, fragrant coffee. The warmth from the cups in their hands and the aroma of the coffee helped melt away the remaining tension completely. They started talking again… Damian began to talk enthusiastically about his plans for the coffee shop, saying he had just negotiated a new batch of coffee beans from Brazil.
Owen smiled with satisfaction… 'Success.'
He felt his own spirit slowly recovering along with his friends' laughter… And when the tension in his mind disappeared… another kind of "desire" began to creep in.
He glanced at Clara…
She sat on the log opposite him, slightly offset. She was turned towards Damian, smiling faintly at her husband's coffee shop plans. The orange light from the fire danced on her face and body…
Her body in casual camping clothes… tight dark shorts and a thin white t-shirt, now slightly dirty from sitting on the log… Her hair, once beautifully styled, was now casually tied back… It looked so raw and incredibly seductive… especially when he knew that beneath that smile of a good wife lay a burning desire she had for him.
Owen slowly lifted his coffee cup and took a sip before standing to his full height. He walked back to his tent, took out a thin blanket, and walked back… And at the moment everyone was focused on Damian's story… he sat down on the same log as Clara.
He sat down beside her… very close… until their shoulders touched.
Owen unfolded the blanket, draping it around her shoulders and his own simultaneously, bringing them together in the same warm space as naturally as possible.
"…The air is getting cold again," he said flatly, the perfect excuse.
Clara froze slightly… Her heart skipped a beat at the sudden closeness. The warmth from his body radiating through their clothes was clearer than the warmth from the fire.
"Th-Thank you," she said softly, trying to keep her voice from trembling. And she didn't move away… On the contrary, she used that moment to lean her head lightly against his shoulder, as naturally as possible, like siblings warming themselves by the fire.
On the other side of the fire, Damian was still unaware. He was enthusiastically explaining the complex flavors and aromas of the new coffee beans to Julian. "…And you have to understand, Julian, that a medium roast brings out the 'fruity' notes of the beans best…"
Owen pretended to nod along attentively… He lifted his coffee cup for another sip…
Before his left hand… hidden under the blanket… slowly began to move…
The first touch was the warm blanket… but as his palm moved past it… it lightly brushed against the smooth skin of Clara's inner thigh…
'…!!!…'
Clara's body flinched lightly at the sudden, unexpected touch. The heat from his palm contrasted sharply with the cool air, making goosebumps rise all over her body. She whipped her head around to look at him instantly.
She narrowed her eyes… glaring at him accusingly for "daring" to molest her right in front of Damian…
But the act failed completely… Her lips, pressed tightly together to stifle a moan, trembled… Her cheeks flushed rapidly… And her gaze, as she looked at him… instantly grew moist with excitement.
Owen completely ignored her fake accusatory gaze… because she herself had started this "game" with him before… He gave her a challenging smirk… signaling 'My turn to play.'
While his hand under the blanket… began its real "work."
His fingers didn't just rest there… They began to caress… deliberately grinding against the smooth, delicate skin of her inner thigh. The warm touch of his palm pressed against her aroused skin, creating a thrilling sensation that made Clara involuntarily hold her breath. She had to grip the coffee cup in her hand tightly… so tight her knuckles turned white… using it as an anchor to stop herself from doing anything suspicious.
He moved his hand slowly higher… every millimeter an agonizingly sweet torture…
His middle finger traced over the soft, resilient skin that was growing hotter and hotter… feeling the muscles tense in response to his invasion… It headed towards its destination… the edge of her tight shorts, just a few centimeters away…
A blatant and audacious molestation… under a blanket that should have provided warmth… but now had become a curtain for a heated sin… amidst the laughter and normal conversation of her husband.
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